LoL Jhin Fanfiction 3 (Bilgewater)
by MayorWho9
Summary: After the events in Piltover, Jhin decides to return to Ionia, at notice of the council of elders. However, the ocean is filled with sea monsters, bounty hunters, and of course the infamous island of Bilgewater. Join Jhin on the 3rd installment of League of Legends fanfics as he discovers the true horrors of the sea. (Semi depictions of violence)
1. Chapter 1: The Ship

The ship rocked back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Jhin's fingers clenched into the damp wood of the boat as he gazed out into the blackish blue sea, feeling dizzy. Behind him the other passengers were laughing and drinking, most of them being the crew. After his events in Piltover, Jhin had only enough funds to hitch a ride less than pleasant. It had only been half a day and he was already sick of it. Everyone was so barbaric, making him stick out like a sore thumb. The trip to his home land Ionia was going to be a mentally long and tiresome journey.

"INCOMING, PRETTY BOY!" Jhin turned around just in time to see a glass beer mug heading right towards his head. Quickly he sidestepped the object, watching it sail into the ocean with a loud _**PLOP.**_

Jhin turned around furiously at the group of men that had threw it. His brow was furrowed not only at the disturbance of his thought, but at the use of the derogatory nickname they had so _happily_ given him. Hostile words bubbled indignantly in his mouth, like the tossing waves against the ship. But like any tide, he retreated reluctantly. Jhin did not want to risk five, thickset men, who were all heavily intoxicated, getting into a fist fight with him. Normally, it would be fine for him, but killing five men on a boat in the middle of the ocean wasn't the best of plans.

Jhin swallowed his pride and turned his body back towards the ocean. He hadn't thought himself as someone to get sea sick, but the movement of the ship was just as intoxicating as any bootlegged rum. He _would_ be in his small, dingy room, if it weren't for the wharf rats that kept scuttling in the hallways. Damn things had it out for him, tearing up his bed sheets, nipping at his feet, and overall causing an unusual stench that Jhin was not eager to experience again. So that left only the deck for him to reside. It was slightly better, but not by much. At this point he was willing to take whatever he could get. If he had to kill the entire crew to get Ionia, he would do it.

" _Well I'd do it anyways_ ," he joked to himself, leaning further over the edge of the boat. The Guardian's Sea was one of the most well known ocean's in Runeterra, popular for merchants and supply boats to make their daily due. However, the Guardian's Sea was also the ocean that surrounded the tropical archipelago, Bilgewater, the lawless port city. To Jhin, Bilgewater was nothing more than a trash city. Everything there is dirty, ruthless, and unorganized, with drunk gang members roaming the street to make a little pay. The only redeeming factor was all of the tall tales that acted as their religion. Hearing about the "Titans of the Depths" and the "Bearded Ladies" was at most, somewhat interesting. Jhin had little respect for the city, even dismissing the idea of performing there in general. To him is was-

"SHIP! SHIP!"

Jhin veered his head, seeing a man on the other side of the boat, looking out into the ocean. He kept yelling to the crew and passengers, and apparently everyone but Jhin knew what was going on. With further inspection, Jhin squinted his eyes to see a small ship just coming into view. He wondered, as everyone was turning to chaos, what was so wrong. They were sailing in a sea that delivered goods and people to places, so what was so uncommon about another ship on the same rickety ocean?

The small, almost silent gunshot across the ocean was enough to answer his question. Immediately Jhin pushed past the crowd of confused and worried people down into the barracks, kicking aside any wharf rats that tried to test with him. He went into his room, which only contained a bed and a side table, both bolted down into the ship. Opening the drawer, Jhin took out his traps, deconstructed cane, and of course, Whisper. Even in a sketchy situation, holding Whisper after a period of time was exhilarating. He knew danger was to come, and as Whisper was held tightly in his hands, he knew that half of the danger would be from him.

He raced back up to the decks to see a slightly more organized, yet more scared group of people. Jhin couldn't resist the smell of terror as it wafted through the air, like smoke on fire, even if he too were experiencing some sort of cowardice. He looked out into the ocean again and did in fact see that the ship was already close, only about 100 feet away. At the tallest bow was a black flag with a poorly drawn skull and crossbones on the front of it. Laughter and more gun shot could be heard from neighboring ship, only confirming to the crowd that is was in fact a raid ship.

Jhin positioned himself behind one of the bows, knowing that being in the barracks would be safe, although if the ship were to sink it would be deadly.

" _They're a raid ship"_ he thought to himself, holding Whisper to his ear as he crouched." _Depending on who it is, they won't sink it, just raid it._ " The option of hiding below deck was sounding much more promising now. Jhin stood up, about to walk over toward the stairs, when a round metal bullet whizzed past his head.

"Shit."

Immediately he ducked down again, causing another round of small metal bullets to fly through the air. The passengers started yelling and screaming, some out of fear, while others were yelling bold commands. Jhin looked to the side to see most of crew getting out handguns and cutlasses, readying themselves as the ship sailed closer.

Only seconds later did the ship bump into their own, causing Jhin to grip to the bullet stricken bow for support.

"GUNG HO!" Some of the sailors yelled as they all grouped together."FIGHT WITH YE' LIFE!".

Jhin peeked his head out, seeing a group of wealthy looking pirates stepping onto the ship, spraying people with bullets. Some of the crew started attacking them, trying to push them into the ocean, although to no avail. Jhin watched as swords went into stomachs, bullets went into heads, and screams went into the air. It was chaos, beautiful chaos, but harmony was lacking. Still behind the bow, Jhin aimed Whisper at one of the enemy crew, a man with a fuzzy black beard who seemed to be enjoying his raid. Breathing in deeply, Jhin felt something awaken deep inside of him, causing his finger to twitch on the trigger. The sound was louder than any handgun on the ship, causing everyone's heads to turn for a split second. A shot of purple and white light flew from his gun, pushing him back from his awkward crouched position. The bullet flew right though the man, leaving a wretched circle in the middle of his chest. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath and gurgling as if he were drowning on land. Jhin always had a fancy for shooting the lungs. It added an extra few seconds of pain and struggle for his victims.

Quickly enough, the crowd continued with the fight, making Jhin crinkle his nose. That first shot had out shined all of the other weapons and kills, although no one seemed to care. He didn't care that he was in danger, his work _needed_ to be seen.

"Gotcha." A tall woman covered in tattoos and knifes stood above Jhin, aiming her cutlass as him. She swung at him, laughing crazily as she lazily approached him. To her, he looked like a terrified regular man, powerless to the likes of her.

"Please…" he faked desperately, trying to hide a smile. Her's however, got bigger as she continued to advance on him.

"I can't hear you~" she said, a thick accent drenching her words. With no warning, an explosion of smoke from one of his traps erupted in the woman's face, causing her cough uncontrollably, stumbling back. This gave Jhin a chance to stand up, and even more time to just look at this woman. She was tall, with black fuzzy hair tangled endlessly. She had a number of markings, both tattoo and fine makeup littering her body and face. Jhin pulled out Whisper, but had a sudden stuck at inspiration. He put it back into it's holster, and took out two traps, holding one in each hand. He dipped through the smoke, making his way behind the woman.

"Can you hear me now?"

For a brief moment, just a brief one, Jhin saw the woman's eyes go large with fear as she turned around. The "big and bad" persona was gone, only leaving the terrified little girl in its tracks. Jhin threw took both of his hands, clapping one over each side of her head, triggering both traps. Immediately, another smoke explosion set off, the fire erupting much more than the last. The woman let out a deafening scream, as both her ears slowly burned under the pressure of the traps. Jhin violently pressed harder into her skull, making the palms of his hands start to burn as well. He could feel the fire eating away at his flesh, but he didn't care. At that moment, he had caved into chaos, and every bit of pain he felt hurt so good. It was euphoric, not only to feel the heat in his hands, but see an inspiration come to life on his canvas.

The woman fell limp in his hands, either dead or unconscious, Jhin couldn't tell which. He would've checked her heart beat, if it weren't for his own, beating violently in his chest. He just wanted to rip it out, to see the warm blood on his hands, to feel the muscle pumping in his hands

Jhin dropped the woman on the ground, hearing her moan painfully. He tisked his tongue, sad that he had to finish his canvas in such an obvious manner compared to the last. He would've loved to have taken this woman for himself, have her tied down so that he could carve the tattoos out from her skin. Sadly, he was rushed, and would have to deal with an unsatisfactory ending. He pulled Whisper out, aiming it at the barely conscious woman on the ground.

Before he could pull the trigger, he felt a pair of study hands on his waist, forcing him down into the deck. Even before he could retaliate, he felt more bodies slam into his, causing the air to be knocked out of him. He gasped, trying to weasel Whisper out from under him, but his hands were yanked from under him, being painfully bound by a rope. The same sturdy hands lifted his body up, causing air to start flooding back through his system.

"I got em!" The man said, grabbing a hand full of Jhin's dark brown hair. Jhin let out a tearful yell as the man yanked his head forward, merely toying with him. He chuckled deviously, knowing that he had Jhin completely powerless.

Jhin looked up to see some of the other pirates propping up the woman he had just tormented. Her eyes lolled in her skull as she continued to groan and skirm, still very damaged from his attack.

It took him a second, but Jhin also noticed how quiet things had gotten. There were no gunshots ringing in the smoke, only groans of the injured and pillaged. The battle had been fought, and all that could show for it was the blanket of smoke that clouded in the air. All he could do was sit in the hands of this barbaric being.

"Ooh, what a pretty toy."

One of the male pirates picked up Whisper, holding it as if it were some dead rodent.

"Whisper…" His voice was pained to see his paintbrush in the dirty, undeserved hands of some Bilgewater scum. It was like calling out to a loved one who was about to be taken away.

"What was that?" the man holding him said, pulling his hair to make Jhin look up at him. He hissed again at his hair follicles being pulled from skull.

"Oi, we better put im' with Fortune, let 'er deal with 'im," a pirate holding a bag of loot said. They all nodded while Jhin's eyes went wide as he stared at the rotting wood of the ship deck.

" _Fortune? Are they they talking about Miss Fortune!? This is her crew!?"_ Thoughts were scrambling in his head, trying to figure out the situation at hand. If this was Miss Fortune's ship, where was she? Usually she liked fighting, being on the front line to show her enemies who they were dealing with.

" _She doesn't just loot someone without purpose though? What did this cargo ship do to her?"_

He couldn't think for long as the man who was holding him heaved him over his shoulder, as if he were a damsel in distress, or a bag of flour. Jhin watched as they carried him and the woman across the ship to the neighboring one. The man stepped over the corpses of some of the crew, along with dead bullets and broken wood. With one fatal step, the man jumped to other ship, leaving behind the broken boat to rot in the water.


	2. Chapter 2: The Offering

The other boat was much bigger and much cleaner, which would make Jhin happy, if he weren't a captive. He couldn't see much of the ship from his position, as he was still being carried by the muscular pirate.

"Who's the prisoner?" One of the pirates asked, pointing to Jhin as he dangled helplessly over the man's shoulder.

"Don'know," the man said."But he 'lmost killed the captin'."

" _So that's who she is."_ Jhin thought to himself.

"Ah. You gonna put him with Fortune?"

The man holding Jhin nodded."Once the captin' sees im'." The man walked over to one of the ship's bow, setting Jhin in a sitting position as he tied a rope behind him.

" _This is_ _ **not**_ _how I wanted to spend my day."_

After they tied him, they just left Jhin there, the crew occasionally looking at him or taunting him, but he just stayed quiet. Best he avoid any injury if possible. However, his burnt hands were starting to hurt now, as his adrenaline had faded away. At the time, it was wonderful, but the aftermath can sometimes be messy, or painful in this situation, especially with the rough rope tied around him.

He watched the ship rock back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, until he was starting to get nauseous again. Jhin had absolutely no clue where they were going, probably farther and farther away from Ionia.

An hour turned into two, and two turned into three, and still, no one had paid any attention to him. He even started whistling, the cold and foreboding tune seeming to go well with the situation. No one even told him to stop; the crew just listened with intent. It was getting boring, as well as bringing up memories of his times in Demacia.

As the sun was setting, two new crew members, both dressed in odd and avant garde style of clothes came up to him. Silently, they untied him, eyeing him very closely, as if he were going to try and escape. They tied his hands again, this time putting them in the front, giving him slightly more control than before.

"Where are we going?" he tried asking, although he wasn't sure if we was going to get a reply.

"To the captain," one of them said bluntly. She jerked him forward a little harder, signally that he should stop asking questions.

They walked across the deck until the came upon what Jhin could only reason as the captain quarters. The girl who had answered his question knocked on the door, and opened it, revealing a dimly candle lit room that smelled quite different to the rest of the ship. As soon as they walked inside, Jhin saw the woman who he had attacked, sitting at a desk with her head bandaged. She looked tired and beat up, still recovering from the traumatic experience. Jhin couldn't help but smile as the captain jerked back a little when she saw him walk him. The two pirates beside him left, leaving him standing in front of what Jhin figured to be the captain.

"Hello captain. Good to see you again," Jhin said with a sly smile. This only brought the captain to wrinkle her nose in frustration. Her tattoos were still very prominent, even in the dim lighting.

"You have made a mistake, one which you will pay for." Jhin realized she was talking in a louder voice, making him smile once more at that fact that he had caused temporary hearing loss for her.

As the captain stared at him, Jhin wondered if he should plead or continue his little game.

"And that payment will be?"

The captain motioned to one of the pirates, who then reached into their sack and pulled out what Jhin was surprised to see. Whisper. His eyes widened for bit, but he quickly shut down is surprised expression, trying to stay as calm as possible in front of the captain. Unfortunately, she seemed to have caught it.

"This is your weapon, no?" She didn't give him time to answer."Well it has no worth with us, a useless four bullet weapon. Although, I'm sure it would make a great offering." She said all of this with a growing smile.

"Offering?"

They led Jhin out back onto the deck, the sky above them dark, the same shade as the navy blue and twisting ocean. The captain stood in front of Jhin, playing around with Whisper in her hands.

" _What does this damn wench think she's doing? She has no right to take my gun like that, to play with it in her disgusting hands. I'll have to make her pay later._ "

"Now," she said, her stare mischievous, like a child's,"we will begin."

Still confused, Jhin watched as she held Whisper close to her, her head bow down as she started whispering something in another language. She finished, and without any warning, the captain chucked his gun overboard, where it sunk deep into the navy abyss.

" _..."_

Jhin couldn't think. He couldn't comprehend. He couldn't decide whether he wanted to rip open the captains throat, or dive into the water after Whisper. However, natural instinct took over, deciding for him.

With his tied hands, Jhin lunged forward the captain, knocking her down with an unknown force. Usually Jhin was composed. Usually Jhin could think things through, swallow his pride. And _**usually**_ he had Whisper with him.

He tore at her, his hands wrapping viciously over her throat as she failed to struggle. Eventually, the other pirates pulled him off, although he was still in a blind rage. He had lost his gun before, but it would never be found in the middle of the ocean. At that point, inspiration came flooding into him, but not like the euphoric flow it usually is. This time was like a rapid; an insane amount of information flooding into him that he actually felt a headache creep its way in.

" _You_ …" Jhin hissed, stopping his violent thrash in the pirates arm's. The captain stood up, wiping the tears and blood from her face. She was twitching, obviously shaken up from Jhin's inhuman attack.

"Send him to Fortune. I don't want to see his face," She croaked, pointing off into the distance.

"Aye captain," one of the pirates that were holding him said, as they dragged away the tired and sorrowful Jhin. He watched with dreary eyes as the captain trudged away, pushing back any of the pirates that tried to comfort her. Jhin hoped he had left a mark on her, for now at least. He had plans for her, for _all_ of them. But for now, he was emotionally drained, and swiftly going into mourning. Of course not having Whisper wouldn't stop any of his performances, or limit any of them, but he had built an attachment to it over the many years of use. It was his icon, his weapon, his paintbrush.

" _They will pay,"_ He thought to himself." _They will dance, they will sing, and they will_ _ **die**_."

Reality flooded back into Jhin as the two pirates threw him into a pit in the ship, that was a least 10 feet deep. It was pitch black, the moon casting not even a shadow on it. All Jhin saw above was the stars, twinkling wondrously, like any night. With a loud grinding sound, a barred roof came over the top, blocking even more light into the pit.

"DON'T TRY ANYTHING!" One of the pirates yelled, chuckling loudly. Jhin saw the other one punch his arm, giving him a confused expression. Both of them left, leaving Jhin alone in a wooden box.

" _I'm not alone."_ Jhin put up his stilled tied arms in front of him, blocking a punch from a unknown person. The unidentified individual continued their attack, and Jhin kept blocking. Blind to the darkness, his defense was sloppy, but the shift of wood and the rapid breathing of the person gave him some perspective.

After a few seconds Jhin could tell it was a female, by the higher pitched grunts. They were also incredibly smart, coming up with new ways to try and get past Jhin's defense, although Jhin was quicker.

" _Wait…!"_

"Miss Fortune! It that you!?" he called out, finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The attacks hesitated, although kept going. Jhin wracked his brain for answers.

"Um..er- Sarah! Sarah it's me, Jhin! From the League!" With all of his yelling, Jhin mistepped, causing the person the get a good punch right in his gut. He heaved over as the air was knocked out of him, gasping rapidly.

"Jhin?" Came the voice Jhin could only recognized from the stories. There was a sudden *click* as a small flame came out of a lighter that he recognized as being Piltovian. The small red flame lit up the narrow and freckled face of Miss Fortune, The Bounty Hunter.

Jhin had a million of questions, but was glad to see a somewhat familiar face. However, Sarah's face was anything but kind. As soon as she saw Jhin, she leaned back, obviously off put by his presence.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She spat at him, still deciding whether or no to trust him.

"I was captured," he finally said,"from a boat going to Ionia. Why are you here?"

She sighed heavily, averting her gaze from him."I was also captured…" Her head hung low in shame. Jhin at the moment, didn't feel like teasing the infamous and "uncapturable" Miss Fortune.

"Why haven't they killed you yet?"

"They want to take me to Gangplank so he can kill me, as well as just keep me for fun."

"Fun?" he asked weakly, trying to get comfortable against the damp wooden wall.

"The put prisoners down here with me, as it is the prison hold. The first one I tried to reason with, but he had a much more... _vulgar_ idea in mind. After that, they crew realized I would beat up the prisoners, kill a few even." Jhin tried to wrap his mind around it all, but with all his other problems it was hard to sympathize.

"Well," she yawned, stretching loudly,"they'll come for you in the morning anyways. I would never think I'd see the _Golden Demon_ in his _final moments~_ " She said the last two words in a grand voice, teasing Jhin to a point that struck a chord with him.

" _I seem to not feel tired anymore_."

"I'm glad the _legendary_ and _unkillable_ Miss Fortune is here with me, telling me her sob story of pitiful capture. Oh, the situation is just _quaint_ , don't you think?" She glared at him, those surprisingly big eyes like another dagger in his side. Her blood red locks shone vigorously in the small light, untamed and unbrushed. A smile played on his lips, like the soft pittering of a piano. Despite the recent events, Jhin couldn't help the power play that was about to be set in motion.

"My my, you have a beautiful face my dear." She turned back to him, glaring even harder."Yes, I have a plan _just_ for you, would you like to hear it?" This time she averted her gaze, trying to ignore him now.

"Let's see…" He said comically, tapping his finger gently on his chin."Drowned in blood maybe, _yes_ that would do. I might leave your body out in the ocean, let the tide bring you in, blood and all. As beautiful as that face is, it could also use some help. If we remove your eyes, and lets see, a few cuts down the forehead… _yes_ I do see it now. How-" Before Jhin could finish, she kicked up her leg, aiming her heel right at his neck. Unaffected, Jhin smiled and pushed it down."Temper temper," he mused.

"Would you just go to sleep!? It's enough that I have to deal with _you_." She flicked off the lighter, returning the box to darkness.

Jhin sat against the wall, his face much the opposite of a smile. Whisper was gone, he was probably going to die in the morning, and the tranquil lands of Ionia continued to look farther and farther away.

"What's your plan?" Jhin finally said, interrupting the silence.

"What do you mean what's my plan!?" Miss Fortune said fast and irritated. Jhin let out a loud sigh, only making her even angrier.

"You've been stuck down here for about a week now. Don't tell me you haven't thought of _something_."

Instead of replying quickly like before, Jhin could practically see the hesitation on her lips through the darkness.

"Well, I do have _something_."


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

"I'll pull you up," the tired Jhin whispered as they both looked up at the sky above them.

"No, I will. You lift _me_ up," Sarah countered, straightening out her shirt. Jhin furrowed his brow but bit his tongue, knowing it was pointless to argue with her. He leaned down in the darkness, kneeling on his soaken boots, making a step for her to climb on. She gripped the wall and stepped on Jhin's hands. With a loud grunt, Jhin pushed up, propelling Miss Fortune higher into the air. Her high heel digging into his hands as she reached the top of the box, where the barred ceiling was. She grunted as well, heaving the large piece of metal to the side with surprising silence. Jhin tried to look up, however blocked by the shadow she casted over the moon. Soon enough, the weight was lifted off of his body and onto the ship.

"Okay," she whispered, looking side to side as she stared down at him. Sarah continued to look around until she held up a wadded wooden ladder. Without another word she lowered it down, just enough so Jhin could start climbing. It was shaky and small, but after a few seconds, he had scaled the wall successfully.

Jhin looked out onto the ship with a relieved smirk, surprised at how much he missed the salty air. Sarah tapped on his shoulder, getting his attention. Silently, she pointed towards the captain quarters, where he had been only a couple of hours prior.

Even with thick high heels, Miss Fortune snuck across the planks of the ship, stepping carefully. Jhin tried his best, but could not match the precision that she had. All around them was the sleeping crew, and the smell of poorly brewed beer in the air. Shards of foggy glass littered the ground, as well as other bodily fluids. Jhin didn't focus on it, as much as he tried, with only the captain's door on his mind.

" _If we can just get her guns_ ," he though to himself, although it brought its own painfully recent memories with it.

"Wha-?"

Jhin and Sarah whipped their heads around to see a sailor standing up from his recent drunken sleep. At first, the two kept walking, seeing if he wouldn't notice.

"Wait," he said, rubbing his eyes and staring directly at them."You can't-" but before he could finish, Miss Fortune sprung at him, covering his mouth as she quietly lowered him to the floor. He struggled, but didn't wake up any members of the crew. She drew out her fist and hit him right in the head, causing his eyes to flutter with unconsciousness. Sarah looked up at Jhin who was frozen in his position, although gave her a reassuring nod. It was impressive how quickly she took him out, but nothing out of the ordinary for the notorious Miss continued, trying even harder to avoid any of the sleeping crew.

After what seemed like hours, they made it to the captain's quarters door. Sarah put her hand on the knob and twisted. However, to their dismay, it was locked.

She silently cursed to herself, looking around the deck frantically. Jhin, however, had an idea. He took out two long and rather thin knives from his belt and stuck them in the lock, poking and prodding at what seemed to be nothing. They were lock picking sticks, ones that he had bought more or less illegally. He would use them to get in and out of places, and had grew to quite enjoy the challenge of it.

After a few seconds the door clicked, opening just a crack. Jhin could almost hear Miss Fortune squeal as the lock unhatched itself. With a soft and careful hand, Jhin eased the door open, thankful that the hinges stayed silent.

Peering in, Jhin saw the dimly lit captains quarters as before. It still smelled different, which he could only assume were the many unlit candles littering the shelves. At the desk, just like before, was the captain. She was sleeping however, her back eased into her chair as her hat covered her face. Jhin watched as her chest raised and dropped, like the ship moving back and forth. Oh how he longed to rip open that rib cage, to peer inside, past all of those distasteful tattoos.

He didn't fantasize long, as Sarah pointed her finger at a glass trophy case, just left of them. Inside mounted Shock and Awe, Miss Fortune's proud and infamous duel pistols. Jhin watched Sarah look at the captain, then back at the case, stepping just like she did before on the deck. She slowly walked over to the case, being more alert than Jhin had ever seen her be.

Slowly, she pulled on the golden lever that kept her guns in the glass prison. With a soft snap, it opened, causing Sarah to swiftly grab her guns, eyeing them happily in her hands.

"Get your hands up!"

Jhin and Sarah snapped their heads towards the noise, seeing the captain pointing a single pistol at them. Even when standing up, she was constantly repositioning herself, and Jhin could tell she was still somewhat drunk after her nap.

Immediately Miss Fortune pulled Shock and Awe on her, aiming with dangerous eyes. The captain reacted, slower than intended, pointing her pistol at Sarah. There was quick **BANG** as a bullet whizzed right past Sarah. Jhin looked astonished at her as she didn't even flinch.

"Put 'em down!" The captain slurred, a hint of desperation in her voice. Miss Fortune looked over at Jhin, as if asking for permission to kill this woman. He would've nodded, although a voice in his head stopped himself. He too was selfish, and wanted answers.

"Who did you give my gun to?" Jhin asked, staring at the semi-drunk captain.

"What?" She said, looking both confused and angrily at him.

"I said," he started, taking a step towards her,"who did you give my gun to?" Jhin watched as the captain wracked her brain, now taking a step back away from him.

"To Pyke, may he have mercy on your soul!" she spat, bearing a toothy grin. However, Jhin frowned.

"Just let me shoot her!" Miss Fortune yelled at him, in a panic herself. Jhin held out a hand, stepping even closer to the captain.

"How can I get it back?" he asked, now casting a chilling shadow onto the captain. She continued to walk backwards, a sense of fear on her face.

"Y-You can't!" She laughed, gallows humor dripping from her expression."It was an offering, it belongs to sea!"

"Jhin…" Sarah's voice was foreboding. There was a sense of urgency in her tone, as well as in the air. Jhin could hear footsteps and voices outside, most likely the crew waking up from the sounding gunshot.

"Where is it!?" Jhin was now yelling, forgetting all about the secrecy and carefulness of their mission. As passion and rage boiled from his skin, his mind was cluttered with primal and barbaric instincts. This woman in front of him, this _thing_ , was responsible for his loss, his anger. All the noise inside his head told him to lash out at her, to hurt her like she hurt him.

However, the sound of the door opening, the deafening gun shot, caused the noise to vanish in an instance.

Time seemed to past, seconds turning into hours. Jhin was tired, worn out, defeated. He suddenly felt like throwing up, the sea salt causing all the pent up nauseous to just release itself in his body. He held it still, and looked directly in front of him.

As time sped up once more, Jhin could see the captain, slumped over as blood started oozing from her chest. He looked at Miss Fortune, who had smoke coming out of one her guns.

"What in the hell!?" one of the crew members said, bewildered at the scene in front of him. Jhin could see other members of the crew coming up to the door, or looking intently in that direction. In a split second, Sarah turned on the man, shooting him twice in the chest. Now the sailors had a pretty good idea what was going on.

His sanity finally returning to him, Jhin ran over to the captains body, pulling the pistol from her chest. It was small and very basic, although it would have to work. Jhin joined Sarah as she slowly made her way through the crew, shooting at the living and stepping over the dead. It felt strange to hold another gun in his hand, but seeing the bullets plow through the heads of the crew made his spirits lift, but only a little bit. No matter how much he respected Sarah, this brutal bloodbath lacked in all meaning or artistry. Still, he fired the flimsy pistol, seeing all the wasted potential falling into the darkness.

"To the stern deck!" She yelled, her face illuminated by the rain of bullets flying past her in the black of night. Jhin nodded, towards the elevated part of the ship deck that she was pointing to.

Just as fast as the fighting began, it stopped. Crew members were either too injured to move, or dead, all while Jhin and Sarah had taken little to no damage. The wailing moans of the barely living lit up the ship, making it sound like a ghost ship of the damned. Jhin and Miss Fortune sat on the stern deck, overlooking the pile of dead bodies as the sun slowly began to rise in the east.

Jhin was taking deep breaths in and out, his back resting against the bow of the ship. It seemed like he had held his breath for his entire performance, even if it could barely be considered that. He often did, making breathing exercises after long performances almost as mandatory as eating.

"You alright?" Sarah said, breaking into the fresh silence. Jhin smiled tightly, telling that she was actually _trying_ to be sympathetic.

"Fine, thank you. Happy to be free" he said, his voice dripping with charisma as it often did. Now it was her turn to chuckle, as if they were old friends recalling memories together.

"What do we do now?"

The smile fell from Sarah's lips, her facial muscles forming the stoic and focused look she usually had on. In one, soundless movement, Miss Fortune stood up, walking towards the ship's steering wheel. Her delicate yet firm hands gripped the handles, falling into place as naturally as Jhin was to Whisper

" _..."_

The glint in her eyes as she stared out onto the foreboding sea made Jhin remember how much of a home she considered what he thought to be a vessel of filth.

"I'll drop you off at the nearest port with a few gold pieces, let you get around on your own. Me, well I'll sell this baby for a bit of pocket change. I'm sure someone has an interest in Vilgara's ship, with all the dead crew." Sarah smiled mischievously at her last few words.

"Nearest port?" Jhin nervously asked.

"Mhmm," she nodded, staring out as the sun was just a few inches higher."Probably north of Bilgewater, that'd be the closest."

Jhin chuckled, although it was not out of joy."I'm going to Ionia actually-" Sarah turned her head,"so if you could drop me at just the western tip, that'd be _wonderful._ "

"Ionia?" She said it with a playful smile, as if trying to contain a laugh."No way I'm turning this ship north just to be your taxi. Just get a ride at Bilgewater, they have ships going every which way."

"I tried that Sarah," He said, gritting his teeth, as he too stood up, his height towering over her."I was kidnapped and almost killed the last time I hitched a ride on a cargo ship; I'd rather not repeat that again." He smiled tightly at her, shadows slithering though his facial features as he casted his eerie aura.

Unlike most people, Miss Fortune stared him straight in the eyes, matching his threatening glare. For a few moments she softened, staring him up and down and pursing her lips, as if trying to analyze something on him. This surprised him, especially at her closeness, but he kept his face all the same.

"You don't scare me," she whispered, her look and voice almost sounding seductive, as was true to her character."And toughen up," Sarah scowled, punching him rather hard in the shoulder."You'll be fine." She went back to the steering wheel.

Rubbing his shoulder he wrinkled his nose at her. It was hard trying to convince a stubborn person, let alone the "great and mighty" Miss Fortune. He sat back down again, knowing that was currently pointless. Looking out at the now present sunrise, he stared at the beauty of such a natural occurrence. For once, he felt safe on the tossing seas.


	4. Chapter 4: Bilgewater

" _Wake up_ …" Jhin could just barely hear a soft and soothing voice in the distance as he was covered by a sheet of sleep. It was peaceful, soft, and isolated, just him and himself, safe.

"Wake up!" Like a sharp harpoon that sheet was pierced, forcing Jhin's consciousness to flood through. He opened his eyes to see the freckled face of Miss Fortune standing over him, her nose and lips wrinkled in disapproval. He sighed, feeling the achiness of a hard sleep on his eyelids.

" _What_ ," he groaned, wanting so much to close his eyes again.

"We're almost to the bay," she said, crossing her arms."Thought you'd want to be up to see it."

Before he could retort, Sarah spun on her heel, walking out of the cabin Jhin chose to sleep in, all while muttering,"' _A quick nap_ ', a quick nap by ass; more like a four hour beauty sleep…"

Smiling to himself, Jhin got out of the surprisingly comfortable cot. Repositioning his hair and clothing to look somewhat decent, he made his way up the creaky stairs to the deck.

Bright, afternoon sunlight beamed down on him, setting a more or less bright and happy mood. Seagulls flew over head, flying across the sparkling ocean, which Jhin couldn't tell whether it was a bad or good thing. Looking across the actual deck itself, there was much less dead bodies then before.

" _She must have thrown them overboard,"_ he thought as he rubbed his eyes. Turning around, he saw Miss Fortune, looking forward with a concentrated look and both hands on the wheel. She looked natural, standing there with her hips swayed to one side, balancing her worn out body on the wheel.

"Look."

Jhin followed Miss Fortune's finger as it pointed to an island in the distance. It was green and brown, covered in both vegetation and housing, which were visible even to him. The ship was just aligned to the cove, a giant oval of a beach with a dark blue mouth. With the sun shining and little fog, the outskirts of Bilgewater almost looked beautiful.

"Entrancing," he said, with just a hint of sarcasm. Sarah glared at him, but then looked back out onto the sea.

"Some days it can look amazin', but don't be fooled. It's still the hell hole everyone makes it to be." There was sadistic smile on her lips, that didn't seem out a place in the slightest.

"What's the plan when we arrive?" Jhin asked, gripping the edge of the ship,"I mean, you just gonna drop me off to another band of pirates?"

She chuckled, light yet firm."Not entirely. I need to pick up some supplies from my landing, for you and myself, then I'll set you free. Bilgewater is a country of opportunities; it's your job to exploit them." Another wicked smile danced between her teeth.

Maybe it was the sudden stench in the air or the muddier waters, but a twisted feeling pitted itself in Jhin's stomach. The beautiful island turned sour as clouds of fog started tumbling in from the high dark green trees that acted like a roof to the shamble of a country. Even the sun, which had been cooking the air was now going cold, the wind breathing whispers into the pale blue sky.

"BRING HER IN!" I heard Sarah yell, her voice shrill and commanding. A group of men in muddy brown clothing pulled on ropes and pulleys, lulling the ship into the harbor. Jhin climbed down the makeshift ladder onto the wooden docks, his legs feeling like jello as they touched the hard ground. Miss Fortune watched with satisfaction, hands on her hips, as the men finished the last few pulls to tie the ship to the island itself.

"Thank you boys~" She said flirtatiously, handing one of them a small sack of coins. They smiled dumbfoundedly, whispering and giggling to themselves and she pulled Jhin farther into the docks.

Looking up, Jhin could see the strange majesty that was Bilgewater. Above him, hundreds of feet high was the city, engraved into the mountain like wooden sculptures, all looking vastly different, but put together. Levels and levels of streets carefully ascended the mountains, each with buildings crammed next to each other; the glow of their lanterns like eyes. It was haunting, even in the morning mist. Miss Fortune led Jhin through the docks, finally to a set of rickety stairs, leading up the rocks to a wooden sidewalk littered with people. Stalls were set up with people buying and selling, the noises of all different accents and ethnicities filling the air. As they walked, Jhin noticed how dark everything was, realizing they were all in a shadow, the mountains themselves blocking out the sun. It allowed for a cold breeze to sweep the area, as they continued to walk, close to the edge near the water below.

The smell was an entirely different thing. Especially the house and shops that were low to the water; they smelled the worse, with rotting wood and dead fish stinking up the blocks. Even the bakeries, that casted warm fire onto Jhin's skin as they walked by, had an unnatural bad yeast smell. Dodging lamp posts and people, the two made their way higher and higher, passing more houses and shops, all looking different with designs a child would draw. Most of the buildings were made of repurposed ships. Boat hulls turned upside down, masts supporting roofs, even rustic cannons sticking out of some. It was a mess, but so interesting, Jhin just couldn't stop looking.

After a few minutes of walking, Jhin started to notice a pattern. The more stairs, ladders, and stone passage ways they climbed, the nicer and cleaner the blocks became. It was as if each neighborhood was slowly getting better and better the more they climbed up, including the mannerisms of the people who walked about.

"Everything is nicer the more we climb up," Jhin said aloud, stating his observation.

"That's cuz the wealthier live higher up. 'The higher you climb, the less likely you are to drown' is what they say. With all the lower level houses collapsing from rot, it's no wonder why people invest with living up higher."

He nodded carefully, happy about _some_ sort of organization in the wretched city.

"You live up here?" He asked, taking another look around at all the houses and neighboring mountain cliffs.

A smiled played on Sarah's lips."Of course I live here. Even you should know how much money I make."

The houses weren't what Jhin would consider nicer. The design of the houses were still vastly different from another, each house being made from a different type of wood, metal, or bone. Nothing looked the same, even the sizes of the houses. Some were lower to the sidewalk, while others required you to climb up ladders to get the treehouse like homes. However, none of these were Sarah's abode. She took his wrist sharply, looked around, then ducted into a narrow ally, completely made of the mountain stone that the entire city was built into. Quickly walking through the old water, the stench of dead fish and insects staining the little passageway, to one of the walls. Jhin, who was confused, looked at the wall, which had a single black dot; old paint that was fading. Sarah took her finger and touched it, as if it were a doorbell. Suddenly, the wall caved in, the stone suddenly melting into a cement-like substance that molded magically around to make a stone door way, revealing a room on the inside with rather nice interior decoration that seemed out of place for Bilgewater's ruggedness.

Jhin watched Sarah saunter inside, hanging her hat on a coat rack made of polished wood. Astonished, he stayed where he was. One of Miss Fortune's signature smiles came across her face, plumping out her bottom lip that shined with saliva.

"What, you've never seen a bit of magic before~" she cooed at him. Her taunt made his eyes flash to meet hers. However, they shown with intensity, with anger, making her smile drop.

"What is that magic doing _here_."

It wasn't the fact that Jhin didn't _know_ what kind of magic it was, oh, he knew quite well. It was a spell Ionian builders used to create homes or hideouts that were secret to the naked eye. It was more or prayer really, to nature itself, asking for a doorway from a plant or the earth.. Something so sacred and native to Ionia had no place in Bilgewater; how could it even work!?

"You'd be surprised at the amount of Ionian's here; especially those who ran away from the Noxian Invasion. Refugees from those days, and still today, hold many skills that are willing to share for a few gold pieces." She said it all so matter-of-factly, hers analytical eyes locking with his.

"How could it even work here, in _Bilgewater_?" He said the last word as if he were picking up a dead wharf rat. Miss Fortune frowned at his comment.

"Bilgewater isn't all that different from Ionia-" (Jhin almost bit off his whole tongue at that comparison) "Nature runs just as richly here as it does there. Our culture thrives with traditions, as brutal as they seem."

Jhin, still trying to clear his throat from all the rage, was mistaken for silent, as Sarah sighed with a smile and beckoned him in. His brain calmed his emotions, the flaring dying down after entering the house.

Miss Fortune's home, at least is Bilgewater, was beautiful. It had glossy wooden floors with a stone wall, all of them neatly polish with not a speck of age on them. A brown leather chair with a swirly wooden border leaned against one of the walls, it being the only thing that seemed used or worn out. A full classic looking kitchen filled with pots and pans, all clean and tidy. It looked like if Ionian home builders took a normal Bilgewater house and cleaned it up, adding their own touches. It was beautiful as it was spacious, Jhin couldn't deny that.

"It's very nice," he said aloud, continuing to stare.

"You think so? I'm not in here very often, so it's just my private house when I'm in town. My homes are usually made up of captains quarters and town inns," she joked, walking over to the kitchen going over to a bowl of some sort of exotic fruit was where she began to pick at it slowly, putting each piece in her mouth."It's a bit too nice for me, don't you think?"

Jhin didn't answer, he just kept looking around. The lighting, the walls, the furniture; it was all pleasing to look at.

Something must've reminded itself in Miss Fortune's brain, as she suddenly rushed out of the room, into another one, then out again, carrying a small black bag.

"Here-" she tossed the small purse to Jhin, that was weighted with a handful of gold coins,"this'll get you a ride, a small assortment of supplies, and even a weapon, depending on what you plan to do now."

Small pangs of fear started jumpstarting its way throughout his body, but he tried to be composed."What should I plan to do now?"

"Well," Sarah sighed,"If your still scared about being captured again, I could take you down to the bounty board if you want to earn a bit more cash that way."

" _Bounty Board"_ Jhin thought to himself. The words sounded so malicious in his head, he couldn't pinpoint why.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Three heavy bangs on the stone wall made both Sarah and Jhin turn their heads. He looked back at her with confused eyes, seeing hers were just as worried, if not heavily concerned.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Before they could say anything, another three came. Jhin could hear whispers from beyond the wall, of confusion and frustration. Suddenly, the stone started melting again, molding into the door frame it was when they came inside. Jhin watched as he took a few heavy steps inside, carrying his weight as if he were unsure about the floor. His hat flared upward, touching the door frame as he stepped in, while his beard was much shorter than Jhin imagined. Tattoos across his stomach and chest, faded from sea water and age. And as his leather boots drummed on the floor boards, Jhin couldn't believe that he was staring directly into the soul sucking eyes of the treacherous Gangplank, The Saltwater Scourge.


	5. Chapter 5: Fighting and Fingernails

It went by all too quickly. Gangplank thrusted his arm forward, with several bullet shots following, most likely from his crew behind him. Jhin ducked behind one of the pieces of furniture, his mind racing with panic. Several loud and heavy footsteps entered the room, the smell of rotting fish coming from each person. He looked over at the kitchen, seeing nothing but the back door bouncing on its hinges, and watching several of Gangplanks men running through it.

Jhin slid his hand down his leg, reaching his boot which held a very small and compacted pocket knife. Opening the old and rusted edges, he armed himself, just in time for Gangplank himself to appear in front of him. Using all of his might, Jhin sprang forward, toward his open mid section. He awaited the impact of his knife on Gangplanks belly, although found quite the opposite. Just as he had lunged forward, he felt big, and unnaturally study hands on his clothing, as the man pivoted and threw him into the wall, where Jhin's skull made contact with the heavy stone.

Groaning, Jhin was completely disoriented as he tried to pulled himself up, only to be kicked by a blunt object in his stomach. Tears started to form as he doubled over, feeling a sense of cold helplessness.

"Cryin' won't do you any good boy," Jhin heard, the hot whisper right on his left ear. Internally thanking Gangplank for this mistake of his, Jhin blindly shoved the knife in his hands to his left, feeling the euphoric sensation of flesh on metal, knowing he had struck true.

"GAAH!" He heard Gangplank yell, as he stepped back. Jhin didn't know where he stabbed him, but he pushed in the blade, twisting it as hard as he could. He didn't get very far as that rough hand grabbed onto his hair, yanking his hair so hard he let out a ear splitting scream. Suddenly four, no five, no six more hands were on him, pulling him away from Gangplank and granting him vision to what had just happened.

Sarah's apartment was entirely trashed, with furniture toppled over and cushions ripped to shreds, smoking from bullet holes. In fact, the entire room now smelled of gunpowder, and it was getting harder and harder to breath. Gangplank was gritting his teeth as he yanked the small blade from his bicep, blood billowing down from his wound. Those beady eyes found Jhin's, at first with rage, but then with an idea.

"What's your name boy?" he said, taking a stride toward him, completely neglecting his stab wound.

"Saizo," He spat out with a hint of delay. It was probably best to not reveal he was a serial killer (with a bounty) to the most feared bounty hunter next to Miss Fortune.

" _They seem no interested in killing me anyways, bystander or not."_

Quicker then Jhin could ever comprehend, a set of thick knuckles hit his torso hard, forcing his body to curl up, once again, in the arms of the looming sailors. Jhin usually enjoyed pain, but this was raw; this was cruel.

"Don't lie t' me," Gangplank snarled, his voice deep and gritty, hard to understand with his accent. At first Jhin was silent, not thinking this Saltwater Scourge to be so inquisitive.

However, when he let out a sigh and pulled his cutlass from his belt, Jhin realized this wasn't a place to bargain.

"Khada!" he let out, a bit too desperate. He just hoped that word of his first name hadn't reached him. Gangplank stared at him more, observing. It impressed Jhin severely how clever and strong he was especially with the amount of age that was hanging under his belt.

He put his cutlass back in his belt and turned to face the door where Miss Fortune had ran, although saw nothing.

"Take him to the ship," Gangplank companded, without looking at Jhin or his men. They started pulling him away, and he let them, willingly. Jhin watched as they exited the apartment, how Gangplank's back curved upwards almost unnaturally, and he could almost see the look of stone on his face, those beady eyes and rigid look, and he wondered how much of a man this monster of the deep was.

Getting into the alley way and the magic door closing behind him, Jhin continued to be pulled by the three men. One of them held his wrists together behind him, tightly, and both the others stood on his side, alert. They had pulled him up, letting him walk on the street that overlooked the mountain. With only the lack of oxygen to remind him of their high altitude, looking over the side of the cliff was still as exciting as before. Jhin peered on the side of the walkway and saw the streets below, winding and curving, disappearing behind tall statues of rock. As they continued though, an idea popped into his head.

They had just hit a rocky mountain path, which had them stepping over rocks and rotting pieces of wooden stairs that were falling apart in the wind. With every step, Jhin noticed the man holding his arms behind him was having a rough time keeping his grip tight and precise. He seemed clumsy stepping over the terrain, especially with a tall body right in front of him. However, Jhin made his arms and wrists relax, falling easily in the man's hands as if he had given up. He even put on a mask or sorrow, of defeat, trying to appeal to his capturers subconsciously. A few feet away was the end to the rocky path, connecting to the main wooden street.

" _Just a few more steps…"_

As soon as he put his foot down on the last tall step, Jhin pushed forward as hard as he could, praying for release. Like in slow motion, he could feel his arms slide out from the man's grip, easily as if they were holding hands. Without a second thought more, Jhin ran.

It took a few seconds for the three crew men to realize what had happened, as to the seconds of silence, then ultimate rage he heard behind him. There wasn't much time to praise his escape though, as he was pushing past people and objects in his way, heading for who knows.

"GET BACK HERE!" One of them cried, finding a hard time getting past people with his giant stature.

"AFTER HIM!" The two others seemed to say in harmony, gesturing for the townsfolk to help them. Thankfully for Jhin, the citizens of Bilgewater kept their noses out of other people's business, making his sprint easier for him.

This 'sprint' of his wasn't lasting long. Before, Jhin would train his muscles to endure such things, as was needed for his performances. He had to be able to sneak around in the dark, conceal himself in plain sight to really shine out from the crowd. Ever since Piltover though, his athletic regiment had gotten harder and harder to maintain, with him not getting the amount of privacy that he would've desired.

This fact was coming up fast, just like the men who were chasing him through the streets, the salty wind stinging their eyes. Slowly, his legs started to hurt, and his chest, unfamiliar to the area, was rising and falling more drastically than before. The adrenaline in him was fading; he was getting scared.

Tumbling down wooden steps, Jhin could finally see more towards the bottom of the city, or at least a part of it. Running along the side of the walkways that was about 16 feet below the bridge he was on, was a long and wide strip of water, like a river running down the middle of the base neighborhood on the ground. Sharp rocks covered in algae lined the top of the dark water way. Taking a quick glance back, Jhin saw the three man still trying to get to him. Looking back down into the muddy depth, he took a breath, then jump.

Falling was the exhilarating part; the landing was less enjoyable. The water tension, at the height he jumped from, was strong, stinging his skin like a big slap. Jhin tried to open his eyes underwater, but saw nothing but darkness, although the stench was something unimaginable. As he kicked his legs to surface, he felt a form of seaweed or algae at the bottom, tickling his leg. Finally breaking the water again, he looked up, to see the three men looking down at him. One of them laughed, while the other two just looked at each other in fear, as if trying to get the other one to jump in after him.

Jhin started swimming down the soft stream, seeing a ledge just about 30 feet away from him. Breathing in a sigh of relief, he tried to ignore the disgustingness in which he was probably bathing in currently. It was a small price to pay for an escape, at least for now. Looking behind him, he saw that the three men were gone, probably looking for a way down to his level. In the corner of his eye though, was a small object, floating the water. No, it wasn't floating. In fact, it was swimming. Swimming towards Jhin, getting closer and closer, until he recognized a sharp fin sticking out of the water, grey and rubbery.

Eyes widening, Jhin started swimming faster, new adrenaline kicking in. He heard a some townspeople suddenly gasping at him, as he could feel there eyes weighing him down. Obviously, this choice of his wasn't as wise as he thought.

Finally, the gap between him and whatever sea creature that was chasing him had been erased, and he quickly grabbed onto the rocky ledge and pulled himself up, so quickly it looked like he was flopping on land. Jhin looked back in the water, seeing the creature was caught in a net and was being pulled up by two fisherman. An annoyed frown appeared on Jhin's face, as he saw the terrifying creature was an innocent looking fish with an abnormally large fin on its back, probably do to a magical or science experiment gone wrong. As he shook the thought from his mind, he realized he was drenched in what was basically sewer water, smelling and feeling the worst he had ever been. He realized now why the townspeople had been gasping, and why they were now currently laughing.

" _Wonderful"_ he thought." _Just wonderful."_

He started getting up on his knees, but then he saw a delicate and slender hand appear in his face. Jhin looked up and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever saw.

She was thin with curves all over and a smooth complexion with sharp features. She wore a silk blouse with wavy sheer sleeves that went down to her wrists. A short skirt that hugged her thighs rode her hips, slanting to a point that barely passed as modesty. A blood red sash ran around her waist, deeping the coloration. All of it had a Ionian feel, including her sharp edged haircut. Her face was also symmetrical, with plump lips the color of cherries. This woman was the thing of dreams, taking Jhin out of reality for a few blissful moments.

Her soft laughter broke his trance, making him realize that her hand was still extended to him. Blushing slightly, he took it, allowing her to pull him up, ignoring her fingernails slightly digging into his hands. Trying to dry himself off, he saw a look of realization on the woman's face, that quickly disappeared with a sly smile.

"Are you alright?" She asked, in a kind of superior tone. He laughed sheepishly, shaking his head.

"Quite so. However, I'm not in my most presentable form as you can see."

She laughed again at his charm, not breaking from their eye contact. Her eyes were chocolate brown, similar to his, just wider and deeper; more aloof. He had never felt this sense of attraction for anyone that wasn't involved in his performances.

The sudden thought of this woman being apart of his performances made him visually twitch with pleasure and anticipation. Calming himself down, he averted his eye contact, as hard as it was, and remembered that he was in fact running away from someone.

Before he could excuse himself, the woman leaned in close to his ear.

"Come with me, _darling_."

He breathed in deeply, trying to contain this new found excitement, and nodded, partly against his own will. She took his hand, her long fingernails digging into his skin with a wild and euphoric sensation, leading him to a building just around the corner that was labeled as a pub. Jhin shrugged his shoulder, reasoning that he would be able to spend more time with this woman as well as get some shelter from the men chasing him. In his deluded mind, both options evened out. Whoever this mysterious woman was, Jhin was intrigued, despite the small blip of blood coming from his palm.


	6. Chapter 6: Agony

iters and waitresses were bustling in the crowded pub, carrying plates of tall mugs of sparkling beer, as well as thick slices of pork. Jhin smelled heavy amounts of grease as the mysterious lady led him to the back end of the restaurant, sitting them down in a wooden booth that had carvings of pigs with wings. She sat across from him, the same devious smile never leaving her lips. Her sly manor reminded Jhin of himself, the way that he would stare down a person, to strike fear and uncertainty into them. This similar charisma was _attractive_ to say the least.

After a minute of sitting down, Jhin broke the silence."Who are you?" He said, anticipating an answer.

She giggled softly."I am whatever you want me to be," she paused,"but you may call me Eval."

" _Eval_ ," he thought in is hazy mind." _Eval. Eval. It sounds familiar…"_

Before he could analyze anymore, she said,"Who are you?" in the same mysterious voice as him. A brilliant smile came onto his face, practically lighting up their booth.

"My name is Khada Jhin," he said, having no regard whatsoever for his identity. This woman, _Eval_ , asked, so he must respond.

A look of mock horror came onto her face."The _Golden Demon of Ionia_!" She gasped with a smile, and they both laughed." _Please sir, spare me_." She put a hand over her forehead dramatically.

"We'll see about that," he grinned in a deep voice, winking jokingly, however, she seemed to purr in response.

"I enjoy your work _Jhin,_ " She gave his name a hint of a beauty that he didn't think possible. He also didn't think think it possible that he would consider this encounter normal and not one bit alarming. It was as if every woman in the street complimented his killings, or _they should_ at least. She was just like any other fan, just more, enticing then most.

"I'm glad you do." He smiled slowly, leaning forward to match her heavy gaze. Eval was certainly a spectacle in his mind, a jewel that must be protected, admired."It's good to find a true fan in a neighborhood of idiots," Jhin said flatly. She giggled once again.

"I'm so happy I found you Jhin," she put her hand on his, her chilling touch sending shivers down his spine, making him struggle to contain a yelp of glee. He felt so giddy, so vulnerable in the presence of this goddess, a way he never felt before. It felt like he was trapped in a mist of haze, unable to escape but all too happy about it. He didn't care. This woman was here, holding his hand, and licking her lips suggestively. Everything was bliss, peace, ignorance.

"You know," she mumbled with a blush, illuminating her pale skin,"we could go somewhere more private, just you and me."

Jhin didn't even notice his head nodding until she finished her statement, as he was just too excited. His heart pounded as she stood up from the table, lightly pulling him with her. Leading him across the pub, Jhin caught up to her, euphoria and unknown excitement pouring through him as he whisked her around, surprising her. This caught her off her guard, making her wobble in her heels, although he placed a hand on her back, dipping her back for a lustful kiss. It felt cold yet enveloping, tart like rotting cherries, but perfect all the same. This excitement that was building up was setting off fireworks in his body that just kept exploding, and his brain told him that there was still so much to come.

Eval put her arms on his, balancing herself as she deepened the kiss. However, when Jhin opened his eyes to look down at the beautiful lady below him, he noticed that her fingers had become long purple talons, gripping onto his shirt. A rush of panic started to infiltrate his haziness of lust and desire, like breaking the water tension of a lake. Her once cream colored arms were now deep blue and pink, like a bruise that had just set in.

Jhin pulled away from her, seeing how her lips were bright pink, and her eyes a shocking yellow. She purred deeply, and like a chameleon, the strange colors changed back into what she looked like before, a human.

"Wha-?" Jhin was speechless, mortified almost at this _thing_ in his arms, which he let fall to the floor in a state of haziness. Things started to become clearer in his line of vision, Eval's skin turning more and more bluish as she lay on the floor, rubbing her head. He took a step back, suddenly alert and knowing that he was in a dangerous position.

Eval chuckled annoyingly, standing up."That wasn't part of my plan," she said with irritation.

"Who are you!?" He regain of consciousness into reality was leaving him feeling scared and vulnerable, as he had not yet had time to gather his bearings. Like magic, she shook her hands, revealing those purple talons once more. This time, her devious grin was filled with fangs, her yellow eyes piercing his soul. And just like that, Evelynn, The Widowmaker, was at his throat.

"Evelynn-!" He squeaked, making a sound he was not proud of. As she chuckled with her excruciating long talon at his neck, Jhin could hear people in the pub start to notice. Their whispers of fear and panic slowly allowed him to enter back into reality.

"You're feisty my love," her voice dripping with charisma,"but I'm an impatient girl." She bared her fangs, making Jhin swear he heard a hissing noise like a snake. Before she could do anything next, the door to the pub slammed open, revealing a handful of burly men looking around furiously. Jhin locked eyes with the men, making him remember about his whole escape plan. Evelynn seemed to have realize this too, as suddenly the pressure of her arms and legs vanished, her body disappearing into thin air.

Frantically, Jhin took a leap backwards, shaken on how quickly she was there one moment and gone the next. However, the men tumbling through the restaurant, screaming his name is a bloodied rage took away the old fears and replaced them with much more relevant ones.

The people in the pub were now yelling, not completely out of fear or shock, but out of irritation, as if this happened every so often. Just like everyone else in the pub, Jhin reached for his weapon, although a sharp pain of remembrance hit him like a brick, as Whisper's holster was still very empty. Breathing deeply to try and clear his still dazed head, he took a dagger and knife from his personnel, arming himself wearily as the men approached him, axes and swords in hand. Just as one of them came running toward him, he set off a smoke trap, quickly relocating himself as the smoke quickly filled up the small building. Jhin could hear both his enemies and the bystanders were coughing profusely, giving him some perspective. Weapons at the ready, he maneuvered around tables and chairs, listening for movement.

To his left, he heard a man yell in anger, bumping into decor as he tried to swat at the smoke. With soft footsteps, Jhin walked behind him and quietly slit his throat in one stroke of his blade, catching the man with his forearms and letting him slide to the floor. When he heard another noise coming from his targets, he walked toward it, although a new sound emerged. The sound of metal slashing, followed by primal snarls and agonizing screams suddenly rang through the establishment. There was a _**thud**_ and the screaming went silent.

" _Evelynn…"_

Shaking his head, he swiftly moved towards the front of the restaurant, as the smoke was starting to clear up. He needed to escape soon or he would have to set off another one of his few remaining traps.

"AHha!"

Jhin had ran straight first into one of Gangplank's man, who grabbed him by the arm, shoving him to the ground with a loud **BANG**. Moaning in pain, the felt the entirety of the man's weight on his, pressing him into the wooden floor as he held him captive.

As the smoke became almost invisible, he tried to breath in more air, but the man was laying right over his chest, preventing almost all breathing. Panicking, he felt himself go light headed as his throat closed up, gasping continuously. That was when he felt the man on top of him go limp, and the back of his shirt start to become very warm and wet. With an unknown grunt from above, the man was shoved off, allowing one big wave of oxygen to sweep through Jhin's system. However, he was suddenly pulled up to his feet by the cold and unforgiving hands of Evelynn who seemed crazed with blood lust.

Eyes glowing yellow and red smeared across her face and hands, she wasted no time tearing into Jhin's chest with her claws, feeling like hot knives dipped in poison.

Jhin screamed in agony as he was pushed down to the floor again, Evelynn on top of him as he continued to dig into his flesh, hissing and grunting as his blood started to bubble. Jhin felt powerless, his arms and legs going numb, stopping him from pushing the demon who was eating him alive. Once again, nausea and lightheadedness hit him and he knew he was about to pass out. His body had given up, along with his mind, and at the very moment, Jhin was ready to die.

 **BANG**

Evelynn fell on top of him, grunting in pain as smoke rose up from her backside. Her eyes lolled in agony, or pleasure, Jhin couldn't tell. He was too tired to tell, too weak, exhausted. Even though she had stopped tearing into the big gash in his chest, the feeling of her claws lingered, still keeping him limp, like a corpse.

He felt Evelynn be ripped apart from him, granting him some relief for the little consciousness he had left. He glanced up, somehow seeing Gangplank holding Evelynn by the neck, blood dripping from her stomach as she writhed and wiggled, trying to escape his grip. Jhin suddenly felt hands on him, a bit more gently than before, but just barely.

" _Jhin,"_ she said with a bloody smile. He looked at her, no matter how much he didn't want to, his eyes seemed to only obey to her.

"Someone is coming for yo-" he saw Gangplank shake her, stopping her mid sentence, although she just smiled again.

"Beware Jhin," now Gangplank was dragging her out of the pub."I may be done with you," she was in the door frame as she said, almost childishly,"but I know someone who's not~"

And as the men lifted him from the ground, making his arms and legs move, the last bit of pain was enough to knock him out cold.


	7. Chapter 7: Slave Based Tomfoolery

This time Jhin woke up in a bed. It was hard and lumpy, the blanket over him barely a few scraps. He was cold, but not enough to be shivering. He tried sitting up at first, but was instantly hit with pain in his chest, head, and really all over. Laying back, he took in a few breathes, trying to recall how he got to his unknown place. Visions of Evelynn and Gangplank ran through his mind, as well as the swollen gash in his chest, that had been wrapped in cloth.

" _Okay, but where am I,"_ Jhin thought, taking in another breath. He closed his eyes, and focused. Sure enough he felt a slight tremor through the mattress as it swayed his entire figure just a few centimeters to the left. Jhin was on a ship, and most probably Gangplank's ship, the place literally no one wants to be. He continued through his mental checklist of regrounding himself, such as seeing if he had any utility on him.

" _Only a shirt and pants,"_ he thought quietly, as if someone would hear him. Jhin spent the next few minutes trying to get out of his bed, the pain from Evelynn's wound getting easier and easier to tolerate as he forced his bruised and tired muscles to move. Everything ached, and his usual sea-sickness didn't exactly help.

On his feet now, he surveyed the room. It was bigger than a cell and had multiple other beds in it, as well as a few barrels stuffed with clothing and blankets. It was some kind of living quarters, for the crew perhaps.

No matter how much he observed though, a creeping sense of panic rose into Jhin. He didn't have any place to run and hide, like in a building or city. Being on a ship was like being on a small, and lonely island, with no safety in sight.

" _They don't know I'm_ _ **me**_ _,"_ he thought, remembering the fact he had only spoken his first name. How much perception Gangplank had, and how much he cared, was a deciding factor on how safe he was." _They think I'm a loved one of Miss Fortune, I need to utilize that_."

Just then, the heavy wooden door opened, revealing a very muscular man. His skin was dark, almost grey, and he had a small beard pointed downwards. His eyes were like a hawks, squinted and scarred, and most of all intimidating.

"Come," he said, his gruff Shurimian accent heavy and thick. Jhin didn't fight him, he couldn't even if he wanted. His best bet was to be submissive until they were on land again, where he could run. Again. The cycle was getting tedious. Nevertheless, Jhin followed the man, who walked with the same strut an army general does, with respect and dignity, which Jhin found odd. They walked into a set of corridors, which were lit mostly by candle light, but were also aided by two magical lit beacons on either end. Walking to keep up with the man hurt a great deal, but Jhin concentrated as hard as he could and bit his lip, knowing that he should just bear it. With the sounds of several crew men in the other chambers and from up above, he knew that showing weakness could be fatal. But in all honesty, he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle it.

Walking up a set of stairs, which proved a challenge, both of them were submerged in daylight. Much like the ship Jhin and Miss Fortune had overthrown, the layout and even decorations were very similar. However, this ship was much bigger and seemed a bit wealthier than the last, although Jhin didn't know what to expect out of Gangplank's boat. The man suddenly stopped on deck, causing Jhin to falter.

"Here," he said, turning to face him. Even though Jhin was known for being tall, the other man seemed to tower over him, his bulky shadow casting onto Jhin.

"You scrub weapons over here." He pointed towards a side of the boat that wasn't crawling with crew members."After two days, you scrub below deck."

Jhin stifled a smile. He didn't want to mention the obvious, but something about the man left him giddy yet terrified; a bit of gallows humor.

"You do realize you are leaving a prisoner with weapons, no?" He chuckled, intimidating his accent ever so slightly. The man shot him a stare, once again insinuating hawk-like features.

"If any weapon goes missing, you have first offense. If it happens again, you will be killed." His face darkened, and Jhin wondered where in the world did Gangplank found these men. Jhin thought he'd try his luck.

"And my belongings?" he questions, wondering if he could bait an answer. The man only looked at him, but not like before. He seemed slightly softer in that moment, although it passed with haste. He turned away from Jhin, and started walking towards the captain quarters, conversing with a few men in the progress.

Sighing in pain, Jhin looked at the pile of dirty weapons piled on the deck. Most of them were stained black with blood, whether is be gun or sword, but a few seemed to have unknown fungi growing on them. A single bucket with a rope tied around it and a rag were sat next to the pile, neatly placed, as if with cared. Jhin knew he was tired, but the strange and uncharacteristic like events seemed more than just false observation.

Jhin walked over to the pile and sat himself down. He had done worse for several travelling theaters, but dirty work was still dirty work. He picked up the first weapon. It was a longsword, a cutlass, with dried blood coating the bronze blade. The familiar scent was nostalgic in a way, although it was muddied beneath the saltwater in the air. He picked up the rag and started scraping at the weapon, the blood begrudgingly wiping itself away, making it a start of what Jhin could tell would be a tiresome day.

About an hour in, Jhin had washed a handful of guns, cutlasses, and knives, a few of which he was tempted to pocket. A few schemes floated around in his head of how he could lie about it being missing, but that type of plan was farther down on his priorities for the moments. Already his hands were tired, and the bucket he had was dark with filth. He knew he need to dump it and refill it, although he wasn't sure if he could muster enough upper body strength to do it. Jhin was thankful for being able to more or less rest his sore muscles, except of his arms and hands, although they still felt achy. However, the scent of cooked meat started to make its way towards Jhin, and although he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, it gave him enough strength to pick up another weapon.

"Hey."

He looked up to see two crewmembers standing over him, who were averting their eyes, almost in shyness. They weren't particularly muscular, but Jhin knew their skills lied in more of a dexterous area.

"Hello," Jhin mused, rubbing the rag on the clouded metal. After a few moments of silence, he added,"May I help you?"

One of the men coughed, making the other one jump. All together, it was a humorous sight.

"Yeah," one of them mumbled, shifting his stance,"we wanted some information on Miss Fortune."

"Oh," Jhin smiled mischievously, still staring down at the gun in front of him. In the most luscious voice he could muster, he said,"What do you want to know?"

"Well," the other one gulped."What are your relations to her?"

Now, Jhin wasn't sure if they were trying to integrate him, or if the two boys were just measly playing it as such to scare information out of him. Their uneasy posture and bashful features hinted at the possibility they were just avid fans of the infamous bounty hunter.

"I'm her lover," Jhin smiled, although it took every bone in his body to not laugh out loud. One of the men audibly gasped, although tried to cough over it.

"Well, one of her lovers," he mused, adding a shine to the weapon in front of him."I haven't seen her other two since one night a few weeks ago." The look of the men's faces were awe-struck, and a little pink as well. They were lapping up his lies with ease, and Jhin was loving it. It had been a while since he had played a verbal trick on an unsuspecting person. Plus, he would kill to see the look on Sarah's face if word ever got back to her. Rumors were like playing with fire. They were insanely fun, but eventually, you were going to get burned.

One of them nudged the other with his elbow, clearing his throat.

"Has she told you anything?"

"Oh," he paused for dramatic effect," she's told me lots of things."

"I mean," the man coughed loudly, taking in a deep breath,"has she told you anything about her business?"

"Like who's she going after?" the other one added, making both of them nod their heads in agreement of each other. Then their eyes were back on him. They were trying to make it seem like an important interrogation, but Jhin could see otherwise.

He looked the two boys up and down, faking to observe them as he hummed and nodded to himself.

"I mean, by the looks of you two," he gave them one last overall look,"I'd said she'd be going after you two."  
That line killed the two of them. They both turned away from Jhin, hiding their red and giddy faces as the continued to cough up their lungs. Now a few more of the crew were staring at them, smiling to themselves as they wondered what was going on, and if they should be a part of it.

"We don't mean like that," one of the boys squeaked, shading his face with his hand."Is their anyone she wants to kill?"

Jhin took a second to pretend he was thinking as he scanned the people behind the two boys. They seemed to lost interest into whatever was happening, leaving the three of them in some privacy.

" _Perfect"_

"Look out their boys," Jhin said, gesturing to the sea. They two took a step forward, peering at the light blue horizon, stretched out over the heavy seas.

"Do you see those faint ships in the distance?" he asked with sharp pains in his chest as he slowly stood up. The two looked harder, seeing nothing out there, as they should, but trying nevertheless. Jhin chuckled.

"Look closer," he urged, and the two took a few steps forward, placing their hands on the side of the boat as they leaned out, squinting in the sun.

"Now, those boats are very important."

Before either of them could question him, Jhin shoved both of the boys with his elbows, causing them to tip over ever so slightly, but enough to send them overboard with a scream. Before they fell, Jhin slipped his hands over their pants, grabbing the knives out of their holsters as the two fell down.

"Man overboard!" Jhin yelled with fake panic, pocketing the two silver knives in his pants. Several men rushed over, pushing past Jhin as they tried to help the two sailors. A few ropes were thrown over the edge, and in a few minutes, the men were back on deck, drenched in sea water.

"Are you okay?" Jhin asked with fake concern, looking at both of them. They nodded their heads with embarrassment."I tried to catch you," Jhin mumbled, stumbling over his words in a confused panic,"I-I just couldn't grab on quick enough…"

"It's okay," one of them mumbled, eyeing the other crewmen who laughed at them from afar."It happens," the other one gruffed, as they pushed away from the crowd into the decks below. Jhin grinned, internally thanking himself for eyeing the two up and down. While they were blushing profusely, Jhin saw outlines of guns, a cutlass each, and of course, knives. He felt satisfy with the weight of something familiar on his being, starting off his temporary indenturement with a **bang**.

" _Ah,"_ he thought with a _whisper_ of sadness." _Poor choice of words..."_


	8. Chapter 8: Bad Wine

Jhin dreamt of the sea that night, dark, brooding, and going on for miles. It was calm, but felt full and heavy, as if it were ready to sink any ship that dared to set sail. The waters were navy blue, almost black like the empty night sky that also seemed to stretch forever. Everything felt miserably endless, until it all suddenly started to cave in, the weight of the sea and sky filling Jhin's soul like water in a cup. It seemed to snake through him, making his muscles spasm and whole body shake uncontrollably as the feeling kept growing and growing. He felt suffocated by it, the water and sky now filling his lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe. Jhin tried to scream, to cry out in the endless night, but either no sound came out, or the blackness of it all swallowed his words. He saw himself sinking into the ocean, feeling only the water as it wrapped around and inside him, like the sea was purposely drowning him. Jhin panically kicked with his legs, to try to swim to the surface, to breathe, but the deeper he sank the darker it got. With barely an ounce of energy in him, he kicked one last time, realizing he didn't know which way was up or down, or where _anything_ was. With nothing left, not the sea, not the sky, not him, he woke up.

Shooting up in his bed, he gasped, his lungs and head hurting terribly from lack of oxygen. He touched his face, feeling streaks of water down his cheeks as his eyes stung from crying. Actually, his whole face and neck was drenched in water, not by tears or sweat, but as if the ocean itself and tried to kill him in his sleep. Jhin shivered. He was cold and utterly disturbed by his nightmare. Breathing deeply, he rubbed the tears from his eyes and looked around the room. It was still in the night, as several other prisoners were sound asleep in their lofts, rocking along with ship. Embarrassed, Jhin sunk back into his blankets, feeling around for one of the knives he had stolen. He grasped it, clinging to it for protection; the shiny metal fitting comfortably against his skin. Breathing once again, he calmed himself, and felt his conscious slipping cautiously back into sleep.

" **Jhin**."

He was back in the ocean and sky, the voice seeming to reverb between the too. It was rough and deep, like to metal board scraping into each other.

" **Jhin**." It called again, snaking its way around him, echoing off of his puckered skin.

Before he could try to call out into the darkness, he felt something sharp against his chest, slowly piercing itself into his skin without stop.

"Ahh," Jhin breathed, the sound of his own voice in his dream oddly comforting. He tried to claw at whatever was stabbing him, but all he could feel was water slipping through his fingers. Suddenly, everything felt very real and very dangerous as the object plunged deeper and deeper under his skin, the feeling of warm blood oozing out of him.

"Stop!" He screamed, trying to weasel away from the pain, twisting and turning in the ocean water, although to no avail.

"STOP!"

He sat up in his bed, feeling the last bit of the words leave his mouth. Jhin frantically tore up his sheets, looking down at his chest. Blood and water were oozing out of a small cut that laid over his heart. He looked for his knife but felt nothing of metal in his bed, only more of himself and his bedding covered in water.

Jhin silently slid himself from his bed, standing up on the slick wooden floor. His breathing was rapid, his body shaking from terror and pain. Stumbling forward with a hand over his chest he made his way to the door, not caring who head him. Something very wrong was happening on the ship, and Jhin wanted to get far away from whatever it was.

As soon as he opened the door, he surprisingly saw the shocked face of the tall Shuriman man from earlier in the day, his hand frozen on the door knob. He gulped, the bit of weakness he had showed fading away.

"Come with me," he whispered, turning around and walking down the halls of ship, Jhin quickly after him. As they walked, he couldn't help but feeling a sense of panic run through him. It had been a long time since Jhin had felt this scared and shaken up before, probably going back to when he was a small child, having night terrors of Ionian monsters. Everything felt like a ghost story, aloof and mysterious, but it all felt wrong.

The man led Jhin above deck, the freezing air biting at his skin and covering his breaths with frost. The deck was empty, too cold to sleep aboard or even stay at a station. It looked almost abandoned compared to earlier in the day. The guard led him over to the captains quarters, the door already slightly opened with lantern light peaking through. It swung open. Jhin walked inside to see Gangplank, sitting at a desk with several bottles of wine around him, his face abnormally pale, his beard looking almost grey. They locked eyes, but Jhin showed no fear. This washed up man was the least of his worries with something supernatural at hand.

Gangplank gestured to a chair in front of him, handing Jhin a bottle of wine as he sat. He took it gingerly, but set it down beside him. He didn't feel like a drink.

"Why am I here?" He said in a weak and tired voice.

"Why'd you think?" Gangplank bit back, taking another swig, "There's frost on my ship during a warm season, some of my worst men have drowned on land, and now the Golden Demon is havin' demons of 'is own."

Jhin's eye's widened at the mention of his titled, as he watched the bounty hunter gorge himself on wine. The man seemed to read his thoughts.

" ' _M not stupid boy_ ," he spat, "so don't be either. Tell me what's goin' on."

"I," Jhin stopped himself, looking at the shriveled man before him. Gangplank was scared, anxious at the least. He tapped his fingers on the desk, his eyes twitching ever so slightly. Whatever beast had crossed this ship, it had intimidated the two already on it.

"I don't know," he breathed, reaching back for the bottle of wine. It stung down his throat, old and disgusting, tasting of rotting oranges.

"There are many legends of the sea, sir," one of his guards spoke up, their backs to the wall of the cabin.

"Most of which are _shit_ ," Gangplank mumble. "I've lived through monsters alike to tell you which ones are stories." His eyes turned to Jhin. "I fear we've baited one of the worst with too many prizes onboard."

"Gangplank fears," Jhin mused without a smile, inviting the tart liquid back into his mouth. The captain's eyes stared him over, his pupils black as the sea in which Jhin had dreamed about.

"Watch your back boy. He's merely toying with us two." His voice was only a whisper, but Jhin could hear the nervousness in it.

"He?" Jhin squeaked, the lip of the bottle never leaving his. Gangplank only stared for a long second before he spoke.

" _Pyke."_

Jhin almost threw up the wine back into the bottle at the sound of the name. The monsters of Runeterra truly feared only one thing, death. They saw themselves as valuable, that without them, how would their reign of terror go on? However, protected by fear, monsters thrive, growing stronger and stronger away from death, a sense of immortality. Monsters like Pyke were the ones who kept the others awake at night. Pyke was a demon who thrived off of fear, yes, but the fear of other demons. He was the grim reaper who came only for beasts, ones who had wronged the wrong people. Pyke was a threat yet to be tamed, but as long as he is independent, the more scared the monsters get. And Jhin and Gangplank were terrified.

"He's never attacked my ship like this…" Gangplank murmured, gazing on the shivering body of Jhin."Not till you showed up."

"Then let me go," Jhin said quickly, his voice stronger out of fear."Drop me off at whatever port is nearest, and maybe some of the criminals you call men will live."

Without a word, Gangplank rose from his chair, his large stomach weighing him down as he groaned. "I would've liked your reward, but it seems that I have no choice."

Jhin breathed a sigh of relief, chuckling in his mind. " _Do I have to thank god forsaken Pyke for my rescue?"_

Gallows humor was a wondrous thing, until the truth was revealed.

"Gods be with you Khada," Gangplank breathed, seeming oddly sincere. Before Jhin could question, the captain nodded his head and the two crew men grabbed him by the arms, starting to drag him out of his chair, wine bottle clinking to the floor.


	9. Chapter 9: The Demon From Below

They threw him out of the captain's quarters, an old revolver and cutlass in hand. Jhin banged on the door as ghostly mist started to surround him, but it was locked tight. He sank to the floor, back against the door in sheer frustration. All of his cuts and bruises he had gathered over the past few days were starting to show themselves once more. The one he presumed was from Pyke, the one right over his heart, was pulsating and starting to grow warm with blood once again. He felt achy and cold and helpless, not even the comfort of a weapon helping.

Enraged, he felt his eyes start to water once again. Jhin threw down his fists.

"COME AND GET ME!" he screamed in the night, his words cutting through the chilling mist. They seemed to echo, bouncing back at him and he tried to calm himself.

" _What am I doing?"_ he thought angrily." _I am the Golden Demon of Ionia, of Runeterra, why should I feel threatened!?"_ Jhin looked down at his hands. He had weapons on him, and even a few concealed, why should he be scared. He started to chuckle to himself.

"Alright Pyke," he laughed, raising to his feet. He walked to the center of the ship, dark waters surrounding him on all sides. "I'm ready whenever you are."

And just like that, he heard the water to his left start to gurgle with a wretched sound, the mist surrounding him starting to ripple with movement. Just a few feet away, the mist started to get heavier and heavier, morphing into shapes that slowly started coming together. Almost like magic, details such as arms, legs, clothing came into view, along with two beady eyes, dripping with blue.

And just like that, Pyke, The Bloodharbor Ripper, was standing before him.

"You look more like a corpse in person," Jhin said, brandishing one of his classic smiles. Fear was pressing into Jhin the more he kept his eyes on the monster in front of him, but he suppressed it with all the strength that he had.

Pyke seemed to let out an irritated sigh, dropping his act for just a moment.

"A corpse is what I've come to make of you, Jhin." His voice sounded like a gurgle, as if his lungs were constantly filled with water, as they most likely were.

"You make corpses while I make art, _Pyke_ ," he said, dignifying.

"Art is for fancy dead folk," he muttered, taking a step forward. "You wish to challenge me?"

"Do I have a choice?" he grinned, making Pyke let out another grimace.

"Here."

He took one of his decomposing fleshy hands and seemed to stick it inside of his chest, feeling around in his ribs. Jhin stood with the best poker face he could muster, but he was still utterly confused. With a grunt, Pyke pulled out an object covered in seaweed and torn cloth, drenched in seawater. He set it on the wooden deck and sent it spinning towards Jhin. Eyes still on Pyke, he picked it up gingerly.

He breathed in sharply as he felt the familiar grip of Whisper in his hands.

"How…" he said, trying to contain a gasp. "How did you get this?"

"It was a present not meant for me," he solemnly he reached for his own weapon, his bone skewer that looked much bigger in person.

"I'll let you die a complete man Jhin, not like some of your victims that I've seen. You've been on my list for a while now, and now your time of terror is done on the Bilgewater seas; you should've never come."

"I never wanted to," Jhin shrugged giddily as he scanned over Whisper. "It's a stage not fit to be performed on by someone like me," he paused, "my condolences, that you were forced to."

" _Enough_ ," Pyke snarled angrily, his patience growing thin. " **Now you die**."

Before Jhin could even put Whisper into a ready position, Pyke melted back into the mist, going completely invisible. He could sense him though, swimming through the air, although it was hard to pinpoint where. Now, the threat of an actual fight was making him nervous, bleeding through his previous defenses.

"Come on out Pyke!" Jhin called into the night, hearing the waves below them start to stir more and more. Behind him, there was a small flash of move-

 **PHWAP**

Pyke's skewer snagged him in the back, forcefully reeling Jhin backwards while throwing off his balance. Falling to the ground he saw Pyke dash in front of him, a phantom of himself standing close to Jhin. Before he could capture him, Jhin rolled out of the way, the air where he had been snapping like a whip.

He sprung to his feet, Whisper now loaded and ready to fire, however Pyke was invisible yet again. Turning around slowly where he stood, Jhin carefully surveyed the scene, tracking every movement, no matter how slight, in the ever growing mist in front of him.

" _Left, right, front, right…"_ he thought to himself, reciting the movements like a dancer would their steps. Jhin was about to shoot semi-blindly in front of him, until he got an idea.

He continued to watch the movements, until he saw Pyke circle back behind him once again. Closing his eyes, he focused, listening to the soft sounds of footsteps and a blade being brandished.

" _Now!"_

Right before he was attacked again by Pyke's skewer, he spun around, Whisper still held in front of him. This time the weapon landed right in his torso, pulling him towards Pyke. Locking eyes, Jhin fired Whisper straight in front of him, catching the Bloodharbor Ripper off guard as he was struck with a heavy blow.

Breathing heavily, Jhin was about to fire again until Pyke started to turn invisible once more. Desperately, Jhin lunged himself at Pyke, knife in hand, knocking himself into him before he could escape. Both falling to the ground, he sliced and stabbed at him with the rusted knife, pinning him as much as he could with his body weight. He got a few good cuts on him until Pyke ripped his arm free and clobbered the skewer over Jhin's head, knocking him heartily to the side.

Groaning in pain, Jhin tried to get to his knees, only to fall back again. His vision was hazy and he was starting to see dark shapes that clouded his eyes even more. He tried to speak but could only let out a gurgle of pain as he crawled forward.

He suddenly heard a slashing noise above him. Looking up with as much strength as he could, he saw Pyke above him, skewer in hand ready to pierce it through him like a fish out of water. Jhin felt his fingers wrapped around Whisper, slowly dragging it toward himself, trying to escape from the certain death above him. But he was too late.

Pyke, was too late. With an unknown, and rather painful force, Jhin was picked up by his leg, and thrown aside, hitting the captain's quarters, who's door was swinging wide open.

Behind him, Jhin heard multiple explosions that seemed to have come out of nowhere; his already blurry vision suddenly filled with pops of light. He heard a familiar sea captain shouting out curses, the smell of gunpowder heavy in the air with a slight tinge of oranges.

Jhin thought he should help, but the only thing he seemed he could do was get on his knees and look at the scene in front of him.

Pyke was dashing in and out of the mist, trying to dodge as many barrels in front of him that continued to explode, Gangplank's firey cutlass swinging blindly in the air. Anytime Pyke would get a single stun on him, the captain would already have been broken free. Despite Gangplank dodging almost every single attack, the old man's stamina was running low with all the jumping and tumbling away. Raising Whisper in front of him, Jhin tried to focus on the moving demon in front of him, but it only made his head throb even more. Grunting in pain, Jhin closed his eyes, only having the sounds of the fight to guide his way. Taking in a deep breath, he listened.

" _Back, left, right, front"_ it was just like before. Every sound suddenly became clearer in his head. All he had to do was pull the trigger.

 **BANG**

Opening his eyes, he saw Pyke go down from the air, hitting the ground while clutching his chest. Grimacing, he stood up, only to be met with a barrel exploding right where he stood, throwing him to the side of the ship.

Instead of continuing to fight, Pyke looked over his shoulder and let out the deepest howl, like a giant sea serpent would, then threw himself overboard, disappearing into the air mid jump.

Jhin didn't even realize when Gangplank pulled him up to his feet. He didn't say anything, or at least Jhin couldn't remember if he did, and just watched him as he started to turn away from him. He watched at least, until he felt an uneasy chill go over his body.

" _Get out Jhin, or I_ _ **will**_ _be back."_

For a split second his saw the horrific face of Pyke right in front of his, his eyes glowing with hatred unknown to Runeterra, his bandanna seeming like long pointed teeth. He didn't have much time to stare before he disappeared again, Gangplank suddenly taking his place as he swung a fist right where the demon had been, hitting the golden demon instead. And those hairy knuckles were the last thing that Jhin remembered that night.


	10. Chapter 10: Ending With an Epilogue

When Jhin woke up, the first thing he saw was the sea. His head was propped up on the lip of a ship, allowing him to see miles and miles of ocean, sparkling in the hot sun overhead. With a grimace of sore muscles, Jhin turned his head towards the deck itself, seeing an unfamiliar crew working, laughing, and eating some sort of fish. Come to think of it, the ship itself looked incredibly smaller then what he remembered of Gangplank's, even being made out of a different type of wood. He came to the obvious conclusion that he was in fact, on a different ship.

Relief washed over him that he was far away from Gangplank, but it was soon replaced with nervousness. If he wasn't with Gangplank, where was he? How long had he been sleeping? Where are they going?

"He's awake!"

Jhin turned his attention to a group of sailors peering at him a few feet away, eyeing him up and down. He tried to sit up, trying to adjust himself, only to be knocked back down from the intense pain in his head.

"Easy now," one of the men said, sitting down on his heels. Jhin took a long moment to regain himself, closing his eyes to disperse the pain. Opening them again, he locked gazes with the sailor kneeling next to him.

"Where am I?"

"On a cargo ship heading North, but that's not important right now. You should feel lucky you're even alive."

"Yeah, we thought we were given a corpse with how bad your head was," the sailor to his right had a thick Bilgewater-esque accent, his face young and covered in freckles.

"Gangplank was sure happy to get rid of you it seemed," another one said,"and that man ain't scared of anything."

"I used to think the same thing," Jhin mused, attempting a laugh but only causing more concussive pain."Wait, you said heading North? Where exactly?"

The shadows grow stronger with every passing second, driving him mad. " _He's coming,"_ they told him " _It's coming"._ Like a drum to a never ending song, his head beat with rage and fear of what was yet to come. The shadows showed him images of war, chaos, and death for his country, making him yell out in frustration. He knew the others could hear him, for the walls were thin, but he took no shame in that. None of his acolytes could ever truly handle the way of the shadows, how they whispered and belittled.

Old images of torn away towns, strewn corpses, and heartbreak filled his brain, seeming to be trapped under his skull. Memories from long ago were surging back in armada's, opening wounds that had once been scars with ugly force. It hurt, but Zed knew this was just the shadow's warning him of a war yet to come.


End file.
